Mokau

For the locality in Northland, New Zealand, see Whangaruru.

File:Mokau from south.jpg

the view of Mokau and the coast to the north from the Waitomo boundary on SH3.

Mokau

Mokau is a small town on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, located at the mouth of the Mokau River on the North Taranaki Bight. Mokau is in the Waitomo District and Waikato Region local government areas, just north of the boundary with the New Plymouth District and the Taranaki Region. Prior to 1989, the town was classed as being in Taranaki, and there is still a feeling that the community of interest is most associated with New Plymouth, 90 km to the southwest. State Highway 3 passes through the town on its route from Te Kuiti to Waitara and, eventually, New Plymouth.

Mokau has a permanent population of about 400, but this swells to several thousand during the summer. It is in the Mahoenui census unit, which had 480 people in 183 households, a median age of 39.5 and median income of $20,700 in 2006. Mokau is a popular location for whitebaiting and other fishing including for kahawai (mainly found at the river mouth) and snapper (which are found right along the coast in several spots).

Mokau also has a couple of outstanding surf breaks that, in the right conditions, can produce waves of up to 6 ft (1.8m).

Further reading

Churches

Anglican

Methodist

Maps

• 1:50,000 map

NOTE: Scale [ca. 1:295,000]. Large corrections to 1900, small corrections to 1929, ms. corrections to 1931. Ms. additions show [Mokau] river and smooth water limits, and extended river and partially smooth water limits.

NOTE: Scale not given. Relief shown by hachures. Depth shown by soundings in fathoms. Originally published: London : Admiralty, 1857. "Reduced from the original drawings by Edward J. Powell of the Hydrographic Office."

NOTE: Scale = 1: 35 000 and 1: 275 000

NOTE: Scale = 1: 35 000 and 1: 275 000